Grilled Peach and Basil Preserves - Summer In A Jar

Ever wish you could put summer into a jar?

 

We were grilling on the back patio and I "taste-tested" one of the peaches we were grilling.  I make these sacrifices regularly (and the scales would say a little too regularly.) 

Of course, the way my brain works I immediately started thinking of flavor combos and other dishes I could add that smokey peach experience to and preserve it.  Preserve it. Doh!

The next day I set out to enhance, tinker, tweak and jar what turned out to be one of my all time favorite recipes.  It has the approval of at least one Los Angeles Fire Department Station (and that's a lot of hard working hungry people.)  I sent in a giant jar with my son to work.  I saw him later that day and he said it was almost gone.  I had worried that it would go to waste on some forgotten refrigerator shelf, but I don't think it made it past lunchtime the same day.  I call that success. Yay!

Since the first batch, I've made several and it has become one of my go-to additions to fish, pork, lamb chops and salad dressings.

It made some of the best Fruit Crumble Bars ever.

Tomorrow I think I'll add in minced jalapeno for topping a burger.

I'd love to hear how it works for you and let me know any ideas you come up with, too. Thanks for stopping by.

Recipe:  Grilled Peach and Basil Preserves
(makes about 5-6 6oz jars)

3 lb. Peaches (cut into quarters)
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Lb. Sugar
6-12 Large Fresh Basil Leaves

1) In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tbls. honey with 1 Tbls. lemon juice.  Brush this on each piece of peach.
2) Place the peach quarters onto a well oiled and med/high heated grill or indoor grill-pan.
3) Cook and turn for about 3 minutes each side. Remove and cut into small pieces.
4) In a large pot, add the peaches, 1/4 Cup lemon juice, and the sugar.  Cook and stir often on low heat until the sugar has dissolved (about 10 minutes.)
5) Increase the heat to Low/Med and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.  The mixture should rise to a low simmer.
6) Add the Basil leaves (whole) to the pot and continue cooking for about 20 more minutes or when the liquid in the pot falls from a wooden spoon in a large slow drop.
7) Remove the Basil leaves and pour the Peach Preserves into clean jars, close and refrigerate.  **the sugar is reduced and no pectin is being added so this is a refrigerator jam only as written.

**Here's another way to use those Grilled Peaches in a quick Summer Treat:  See the directions on this ShowFoodChef Facebook Page. :D

 

Wine Brushed Grilled Peaches 

with Basil and Truffle Cacio on a Stick

Avocado Choco-Chip Scones - Vegan with Flavor

I had a dream about Avocados.  Obviously I'm a food nerd, or I have very disturbing Jungian Dream Symbol dysfunction.

Actually I do a lot of my idea forming during late night quiet in my head.  Here's how this one unfolded:

* If avocado can be used instead of butter in a lot of baking, maybe I could use it in scones (even though the "flaky" in scones is vital and butter plays a major role.)

* But, maybe the avocado would get too mushy, it can't be rubbed into the flour like cold butter cubes...unless...it's cubed, and so cold it's hard enough to be rubbed into flour.  (FREEZE THE CUBES FIRST.)

* I'd have to work fast, but maybe if it holds-up the avocado chunks would melt in the heat of cooking, the way the pieces of butter fat do, forming steam pockets. That is what creates the flakiness in pastry.

* Folks who don't want to use butter, but hate butter substitutes would really love that, plus the added healthiness of California Avocado - wow, this could be great.  

* Who needs good pastry without butter? Vegans.  It's hard to find good Vegan pastries with flavor and moisture and not too much sugar.

But, that means no eggs either (FLAX MEAL is a great substitute AND - there's another healthy addition to use.) Oh wait, Vegan also means no cream, or milk or yogurt. COCONUT MILK - I love it, and it works so easily not to mention the taste.

* Hmmm, I'm hungry - wish I had a leftover Choco-Chip cookie - (LIGHTBULB - make the scones CHOCO-CHIP!)  It's true, I would almost eat anything with Chocolate Chips in it, but even I couldn't eat it for breakfast if it didn't taste worthy.

The next morning - I cubed, and froze and scooped and scored myself a batch of the flakiest healthy scones ever made in my kitchen (and I make a lot of them: Nutella, Olive Oil Cranberry, Banana Oatmeal Ricotta.)  

Then came the test - my teen son.  I woke him out of a Summertime late sleep with a small plate that held 2 "hot from the oven" Avocado Choco-Chip scones and a few Melon wedges.  I waited.  I heard him on the phone with a buddy.  I wondered if he nibbled the scone and dismissed it.  That seemed impossible as I had already eaten two myself (hey, they're small.)

When he emerged from the cave he calls his room, the plate was empty (cue the Angels choir.)  Maybe you think a teen boy will eat just about anything, but you're wrong.  It's quite unbelievable sometimes the weird stuff they eat, but they are also bizarrely picky. The topper came when he asked me if there were more.  

Oh yeah, there were more. Then I told him they were VEGAN.  He paused, and only remarked, "Oh, yeah?  I'll take one to Jileanne, she'll love it."  

Success - Dreams DO come true - if you bake them. 

Don't be afraid of these, if you don't eat Vegan.  There's nothing but tons of flavor and easy fixing in this recipe.  I thought about calling these: The Avocado Choco-Chip "Don't hate me because I taste so good without butter, cream or eggs" Scones, but it was hard to fit on a picture.  

Recipe:  Flaky Avocado Choco-Chip Scones 

          (with no butter, eggs or cream)

-makes 12-  

1 Large Avocado - (peel,cube small,then place cubes in Freezer for 20 minutes)

2 cups Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Tablespoon Flax Seed Meal (I use Bob's Red Mill)

pinch Salt

1/2 cup Chilled Coconut Milk

1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

1)  While Avocado cubes are chilling, whisk together in a bowl, the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and Flax Seed Meal.

2) Working quickly, rub the chilled Avocado cubes into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the pieces are small pea size, generally.

3) Pour in the chilled Coconut Milk and toss together with a fork.

4) Add the chocolate chips and continue to fold in with a fork until the dough holds together.  Empty it onto a flour covered work board or parchment covered counter.

5)  Divide the dough into 2 halves and pat each one into a circle about 6 inch diameter.  Cut each one in half, then each half in thirds (creating 12 small triangles.)

6)  Place on a parchment covered baking sheet, brush with extra Coconut milk and optionally sprinkle with sugar. Cook in Preheated 400F oven for about 18 minutes. ** You could also Freeze these before baking, and bake later (up to 3 weeks.)

Sweet food dreams~

Avocado & Turkey in Onion Fire Balls

Here's a new take on a classic campfire meal, and perfect for the Summer grill.  The secret ingredient is California Avocados.  Okay, so avocados aren't so secret.  In fact, this July 4th more than 96 million pounds of avocados will be consumed in the United States. I'll be doing my part, that's for sure.

 

Combining the avocado with ground turkey and seasonings is the big whamo, the secret ammo in these Onion Fire Balls.  The velvety avocado chunks replace any need for more processed ways of adding moisture to ground turkey.  There's no need for mayonnaise or oils.  Adding fresh tarragon, kosher salt and cracked pepper and a dash of soy sauce (or Worcestershire) and the optional minced peppers give the turkey meat robust flavor.  Then, if that's not enough, it gets hugged together by an onion layer and grilled inside a foil wrapper that holds in all the smokey juices.  Wowza - that's just good! It's

also naturally Gluten Free, Grain free and low in the bad fats.

Black Cod in Sicilian Olive Sauce (Merluzzo Nero alla Olive Ghiotta)

Black Cod in Sicilian Olive Sauce

I went to Sicily.  Give me a second, I just want to read that last sentence and breathe deeply.

 

Yeah, I went to Sicily.  Wow.  First, the food - as you've probably heard before- amazing. Second, the people were so friendly.  They were so open.  They were so patient while I mangled the Italian language.

There was inspiration everywhere I visited and I covered a lot of country.  My husband and I are thankfully alike in wanting to see as much as possible on vacation.

 

We never stop.  It's upsetting to many of the hotel, apartment and agriturismo owners that we meet in Europe. They always ask, "why do you stay only one night, why not stay more, relax?"  They often look hurt that we aren't soaking in their lovely city and homes for longer. I love them for that spirit.  It's just not how we're engineered.  We want to see it all, do it all and we only have a limited time, so it's go, go, GO.

 

The upside is we eat at a lot of different places and experience classic and modern takes on their traditional dishes. Then I return with ideas and passion for creating them myself.

One of the terms used a lot in Sicily was "ghiotta" [ghee-OH-tah.]

There was Pesce alla Ghiotta, and Tonno alla Ghiotta, and even Panna Cotta alla Ghiotta.  At first I thought it just meant a well-known Sicilian collection of tomatoes, olives and capers (sometimes with raisins thrown in, too.)  After returning to the States and asking my fav Italian teacher (Lorena Bignamini) and a scholarly buddy that teaches Italian at UCLA (Erika) about the word, "ghiotta", I'm ready to pass along these really fun facts:

** Ghiotto and Ghiotta are adjectives that can mean curiosity or interest in something scrumptious.

** It can also mean gluttonous person, but in Italian it means in a good way.

** Our literal translation could mean glutton, but in Italian it's only positive - meaning something like a person really liking something.  Lorena said you could be "ghiotta di Nutella, ghiotto di proschiutto, ghiotta di dulce and on and on.."

** If someone is a "ghiottone" it means they really appreciate food, like a gourmand, or a foodie (yay!) Although literally in our language it means a little wolverine.  Hahaha.

I've decided the best way to remember this is to think of our slang "Gaga" for something.  If you are "Ghiotta" for something you are "Gaga" for it.  Capisce?

Sicily, having a history of being owned by so many different countries along the way, is a mixture of Arab, Africa, Greek, French, Italian and many other influences.

 

A meal may have olives in one dish and cinnamon in the next.  Sweet pastries are combined with savory spices, sausages are soaked in onions one dish, and fruits the next.  The country is covered in rolling hills, but dotted with palm trees too.

 

A city may be buzzing with commerce and just outside of it looms the ruins of a Greek temple built before Christ.

But, this is definitely Italy and almost every hillside has olive trees and every table a bottle of wine.

One of the "ghiotta" dishes that inspired me was enjoyed in Palermo at Trattoria Biondo.

Just before I left for Sicily, the sweet folks at Lindsay Olives sent me a few cans and jars of their Natural and Sicilian collection of olives.

It was wonderful timing and I was excited to return and play with my food (what a Ghiottone, huh?)

I'm using Black Cod because it's so easy to cook with and a good sustainable choice.  I'm using two different kinds of Lindsay Olives for a very full flavored sauce.  I minced the black olives to use instead of capers for a really nice tang and balance to the fish.

Until you or I get to return to Sicily, I hope you'll visit through your kitchen with this recipe:



Black Cod in a Sicilian Olive Sauce- (Merluzzo Nero in Olive Ghiotta)

1 Fillet Black Cod (cut into large pieces)
1 small Onion (cut in thin slices)
3 Garlic Cloves (peeled and smashed)
Olive Oil
1/2 Cup White Wine
2 large Tomatoes (cut in chunks or 6 strawberry tomatoes halved)
2-3 Cups Tomato Passata (Tomato Puree or Stock)
1 cup Lindsay Black Natural Olives (drained and minced)
1 cup Lindsay Sicilian Olives (drained and hand torn)
1/2 cup Fresh Parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup Fresh Basil (chopped)
salt/pepper
*Crushed Pistachios for garnish*

1)  In a large pot, add a nice layer of Olive Oil to the bottom and heat on Med.
2)  Add onions and garlic and cook gently until soft (about 8 mins.) ** optionally a few slices of slivered Fennel is delicious, too**
3)  Add the White wine and continue to cook down for about 10 mins.
4)  Place the Fish pieces in a single layer on top of the onions. Sprinkle in the minced Olives. Hand tear the Sicilian Olives and distribute those in the pot also.
5) Add the Tomatoes, Parsley, Basil and season with salt and pepper.

6)  Pour in the Tomato Passata. Increase heat just til it simmers, then cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook for about 30 minutes.  Now and then, gently stir a bit and move fish around to cook evenly.
7) Remove Fish, ladle sauce into bowls, then top with Fish and garnish with Pistachios.

Chef Becky Selengut (author of GOOD FISH) gave this buying tip for Black Cod (also known as Sable Fish): Buy pieces that are center cut rather than tail because it's thicker and more resistant to over cooking.

Nutella Coconut S'more Bars

There's a cool trend in "food land" of adding flavors, fruits and toppings to S'mores.  So, I gave it a try with Nutella and Coconut.  

 

It was a giant success, but a very sloppy, gooey success.  Inspired by a photo of marshmallow squares by Joy The Baker, the ease of cutting and serving my Nutella Coconut S'more Bars was born - and gone in a few minutes.

These pictures are of my third pan of these wonder-bars.  My son's friends (who are my unofficial taste-testers) assumed I wanted them to taste-test the whole 16 bars, I guess. 

Then, I took a platter of them to a catered brunch (cutting them into mini-bites) and was lucky to retrieve my platter in one piece.  I think someone even took the pretty paper liner just to eat the crumbs.  Now, that is a compliment, right?

These are so simple to make, the crust is just pressed in and the oven is not used very long.  I kept them in an air-tight container with parchment between layers for a few days and they were still so delicious.  Don't keep them in the refrigerator because the marshmallow will weep (they are so emotional, haha) with droplets from getting too moist.

It has been a pleasure to create something Nutella-icious for BellaNutella.  I hope you'll let me know if you make these, eat these and share these.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't eating one right now, too. 

Recipe: Nutella Coconut S'more Bars

1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Butter (melted)

1/3 cup Sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup (or more) Nutella

1/4 cup Shredded Coconut

3 cups Small Marshmallows

1)  In a bowl, Whisk together the Graham Cracker Crumbs,Flour and salt.

2) In another bowl, whisk the butter, sugar and vanilla together.  Then whisk in the egg.

3) Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir to blend.

4) Turn out into a buttered 8x8 inch baking dish that has been lined with parchment and up the sides.  Using your fingers, press into an even crust on the bottom of the dish. *tip- use a cupcake wrapper for easy even pressing.

5)  Bake in a preheated 350F oven on the middle rack for about 10-12 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool for just a few minutes.

6)  Drop dollops of the Nutella on the warm crust and gently spread as the Nutella gets soft.  Be careful to not tear the crust.  Be patient and allow the Nutella to soften just a little.

7)  Sprinkle half of the Coconut on top of the Nutella layer. Then cover with small marshmallows.

8)  Bake at 350F for about 5 minutes until the marshmallows are soft.  Remove from the oven and tap the marshmallows with a large spoon, just enough to form a nice delicious gooey covering.

9)  Sprinkle the rest of the Coconut on top of the marshmallows.  Return to the oven, but now turn it to Broil.  Stay.  Watch.  Allow the Marshmallows to brown and the Coconut to brown, and then remove.  (This will only take a couple minutes and when it starts, it happens fast.  Allow to cool before slicing in squares.)  

*TIP - wet your knife now and then between slicing to help make even cuts without the marshmallow sticking to the blade.

Store in an air-tight container for a couple days.  Don't put in the refrigerator because the moisture will make the marshmallows goopy.

Yeah, I said goopy. :D  Enjoy!

Avocado Replaces Butter in Banana Avocado Coffee Cake

  

 Avocado Banana Choco-Chip Coffee Cake

As if Avocados didn't have enough incredible things about them, they can also replace the fat in some of our favorite baked goods.

Recently, I was invited to visit an Avocado Grove, enjoy some inventive brunch items using Avocados and even experience picking my own early green Hass right off the tree.

 

Jan DeLyser of the California Avocado Commission was our tour guide and the Farm we visited was Dan and Sue Pinkerton's.

Dan is a scientist, a farmer, a story teller and claims that Sue is the one who keeps it all together.  The trees were heavy with beautiful green orbs and buds (Avocado trees bear fruit for one season and buds for the next year.)

        

After touring the farm, we visited Mission Packing Plant in Oxnard. There the Avocados (900lbs per bin) are cooled, washed, sorted, labeled, temperature ripened and sent out to the stores and distribution centers.  

 

It's important to remember we have choices with all foods and we don't have to just take the first thing placed on a bin in front of us.  California Avocados are worth the extra moment it takes to read the label.  The season is long (March thru October), the fruit is consistent (buttery texture and smooth greens) and the standards are high (to match our own.)

At any point in any day, I am more than happy to eat a California Avocado straight out of the shell with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Being inspired by the tour and the education, I wanted to develop a recipe that used California Avocados in baked goods.

This Avocado Banana Choco-Chip Coffee cake became the recipe that was made 2 times in one week.  After my teen son and friends devoured the one I left out to cool, I made another one for my post.

 

Since then, I've made a couple more and found they freeze well, too.  That makes a rushed morning even easier; I just pull out a slice and heat in the toaster oven.  Enjoy and look for California Avocados when you shop.

Recipe:  Avocado Banana Choco-Chip Coffee Cake

1/3 cup Walnuts (chopped)

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/3 cup Choco Chips

1/2 cup (mashed) California Avocado

1/2 cup Honey

1 Egg

1 cup (mashed) ripe Banana

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/3 cup nonfat Yogurt

1 1/2 cup AP Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

1)  Combine nuts, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and hold for later.

2)  Cream together the Avocado, Honey, Egg, Banana, Vanilla and Yogurt.

3)  In another bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (Flour, Baking Powder and Soda, salt), then stir this into the creamed ingredients until blended well.

4)  Oil and dust with flour an 8x8 inch baking pan.  Sprinkle half of the nut mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, then spoon half of the batter on top of that.

5)  Sprinkle the remainder of the nut mixture over the batter and then spoon the remainder of the batter over that.

6)  Bake in a preheated 350F oven 40-45 minutes or until cake tests done.  Cool in the pan for a few minutes.  

 

This can be served in the pan, or inverted onto a plate for cutting, serving or freezing. 

Click here to see more Avocado information and recipes from the California Avocado Commission